Process control systems, like those used in chemical, petroleum or other processes, typically include one or more process controllers and input/output (I/O) devices communicatively coupled to at least one host or operator workstation and to one or more field devices via analog, digital or combined analog/digital buses. The field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches and transmitters (e.g., temperature, pressure and flow rate sensors), perform functions within the process such as opening or closing valves and measuring process parameters. The process controllers receive signals indicative of process measurements made by the field devices and/or other information pertaining to the field devices, use this information to implement a control routine, and then generate control signals that are sent over the buses or other communication lines to the field devices to control the operation of the process. In this manner, the process controllers may execute and coordinate control strategies using the field devices via the busses and/or other communication links communicatively coupling the field devices.
Information from the field devices and the controllers may be made available to one or more applications (i.e., software routines, programs, etc.) executed by the operator workstation (e.g., a processor-based system) to enable an operator to perform desired functions with respect to the process, such as viewing the current state of the process (e.g., via a graphical user interface), evaluating the process, modifying the operation of the process, etc. Many process control systems also include one or more application stations. Typically, these application stations are implemented using a personal computer, workstation, or the like that is communicatively coupled to the controllers, operator workstations, and other systems within the process control system via a local area network (LAN). Each application station may execute one or more software applications that perform campaign management functions, maintenance management functions, virtual control functions, diagnostic functions, real-time monitoring functions, safety-related functions, configuration functions, etc. within the process control system.
Process control systems typically provide one or more operator terminals and/or application stations including one or more graphical interfaces to enable system operators to view current process-related parameters, statistical and/or historical process information, alarm information, campaign management and/or execution information or, more generally, information provided by any or all of the applications associated with the process control system.
With some known process control systems, one or more of the process control-related applications include user interface functionality to enable the application(s) to interact directly with, for example, an operating system (e.g., a Windows-based operating system) of an operator station or terminal providing a graphical interface to the process control system. Thus, in these cases, the various applications and, in particular, the graphical user interface portions thereof interact directly and independently (i.e., independent of the other applications) with the operating system of the operator station. As a result, the system operators are responsible for managing and/or coordinating the use of a number of graphical displays (e.g., display windows) rendered via a display device (e.g., a video monitor or other display device) of the operator station. The management of these relatively independent displays or windows is complicated by the fact that each of the displays may provide a different type of information (e.g., graphical, textual, trends, alarms, etc.) at different times. For example, some information may be best displayed in the form of a banner placed at the top or bottom of a display device (e.g., a video monitor), other information may be best displayed in a relatively large central display area, and still other information may be best displayed in the form of a temporary pop-up floating display or window.
In some cases, the display management duties imposed on the system operator may include arranging, sizing, and/or scaling the various display windows to fit within the form factor of a particular display platform (e.g., a workstation or personal computer monitor, a personal data assistant, a smart phone, tablet personal computer, etc.). Further, even if a system operator is able to configure and organize the independent graphical displays in a useful manner for a given set of process control information provided by a particular group of applications, adding and/or changing the information displayed may require time consuming reorganization or reconfiguration of the display. For example, if the system operator desires to add alarm information to a display that is currently not displaying alarm information, the entire display may have to be reorganized by moving, resizing, and/or eliminating one or more of the current displays and/or windows to fit within the form factor of the display.
Another difficulty resulting from requiring system operators to organize and/or manage the layout and operation of the graphical user interface is that each of a plurality of displays, which may be associated with a respective plurality of operator and/or application stations distributed throughout the process control system, may use a different combination and layout of graphical views or displays. This lack of a common display framework leads to inconsistency across the various displays used in the process control system, thereby reducing the intuitiveness and/or proficiency with which an operator interacts with the various displays and complicates the training of new system operators and/or other personnel.
Additionally, because many known graphical user interfaces are not integrated within a common runtime environment and enable system operators to interact directly with the operating system, system operators can purposefully and/or inadvertently disable one or more vital runtime graphical user interfaces. For example, with such direct access to the operating system underlying a graphical interface that provides alarm information, a system user could potentially disable the reporting of alarm information, which may result in the failure to respond to an unacceptable and/or dangerous condition within a plant.